Have a Nice Guilt Trip

September 1, 2014
This mother-daughter literary team quip their way through life’s ups and downs with witty, wisecracking humor in a series of delightfully random vignettes. Scottoline declares that “someone has to write about the simple things in life,” while reminiscing about vapor rub and radiators and obsessing over furniture arranging. Love, marriages, and divorces provide the predictable zingers of Scottoline’s contributions; her own mother, “Mother Mary,” is lovingly portrayed as feisty and old-school; and their six dogs also inspire a great deal of material. Scottoline covers both the banalities of middle age (gray hair, glasses, vitamins) and the sadness suffered following the loss of a beloved dog: “Life contains the bitter and the sweet.” She sounds sincerely impassioned about politics, women’s self-esteem, and Hurricane Sandy. Serritella’s voice is crisp and pleasant as she likens jury duty to high school—a spot-on, funny analogy. She refers frequently to her boyfriend and her dog Pip. Rollerblading and being a dog’s stage mom call for Seritella’s lightness of tone, while she becomes more intimate about milestones, such as coping with the reality of a newly married ex-boyfriend. Lively, clever, and absolutely relatable, this audio is a winner. A St. Martin’s hardcover.

Mother and daughter authors Scottoline and Serritella give an entertaining, down-to-earth narration as they reflect on various aspects of their lives. Scottoline's electric performance is worthy of a stand-up comedian, especially with her impersonation of her cantankerous and outspoken mother--aptly named Mother Mary. Scottoline's spunky voice and perfect pacing make for a hilarious delivery of her tongue-in-cheek views of everything from adult diaper rash to Weiners in Washington. While Scottoline's act is a hard one to follow, Serritella manages to hold her own with an amusing and heartfelt narration. The interview that follows the book adds to the likability of the narrators/authors and one's appreciation of the vignettes. M.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine